- 9 minutes ago
Daniel Gafford joined The K&C Masterpiece and discussed battling Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg, Dusty May, defensive adjustments, and more.
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00:00K&C Masterpiece right here on 105.3 The Fan, your flagship station of the Dallas Mavericks.
00:05So we bring to you from the Dallas Mavericks, it is Daniel Gafford. Good afternoon, sir.
00:12Hi, how are we doing?
00:13We're doing pretty good, doing pretty good.
00:15Now, it might be ridiculous to ask this question because it was Game 8,
00:20but the intensity we saw last night, did it have like a playoff vibe?
00:25Because that's what it felt like, or is that an absurd question to ask this early?
00:31I don't take it, too, of an absurd question to ask.
00:34Last night was definitely a movie.
00:37You know, granted, I didn't have the game that I expected to have,
00:40but just watching and seeing how the guys were fighting on down to the final buzzer,
00:44it was just something that I would say you would see on a TV show.
00:47When you talk about like you personally versus the team coming back,
00:52is that something you can always put to the side?
00:54Like, I realize if you would have won, but are you able to be like,
00:57hey, I didn't have a good game, but who cares because we won?
01:02Oh, yeah, 100%.
01:03You know, even just with just, you know, how hard those guys played last night,
01:08you know, the main thing that I want to do is make sure I motivate them the best way I
01:11could.
01:12You know, if I can't do it on the floor, I can do it on the sidelines.
01:14So, really, just thinking about any type of game that I've had, good or bad,
01:20it's just, you know, I just want to be able to find some type of way to give guys energy.
01:23And I was on the bench last night for sure.
01:25Dude, I know that everybody knows that I love Daniel Gafford joining us here on the KNC Masterpiece
01:30on 105.3 The Fan.
01:31The Ringer has a headline that says,
01:33Ban Wimby, Save Basketball.
01:35Is that the only way to stop him?
01:38Because that was a pretty impressive night he put together.
01:42I mean, man, it was a master class, you know.
01:45And, I mean, the sky's the limit for him.
01:47He gets better and better every game.
01:49And I think he's just fully developing into the player that he's really putting his mind to.
01:53You know, it's just dope seeing just somebody of his stature be able to do the thing that he does.
01:59You know, granted, I mean, we were on the receiving end of that, which I hate at the end of
02:03the day.
02:03But it's just, I mean, he's a very unique player.
02:06And we all see that night in, night out.
02:09It feels a little unfair, though, right,
02:11that somebody that gigantic can be so skilled at all the facets of basketball.
02:16You know, I can't lie.
02:18I can't sit right here and say I've never thought that,
02:20especially being on the floor with him a couple of times.
02:24You know, because there's times where it's like, you know,
02:27I really don't get my shot blocked.
02:29But it's like, man, every time I've shot a shot against him where we're body-to-body,
02:33it's just, you know, it's full palm.
02:35I feel like his little brother.
02:36And it just sucks, you know.
02:38Well, you know, I was watching some highlights the other day because, again,
02:42I mean, we love watching you play.
02:44It's great to have your athletic ability and what you do in the middle of the paint
02:48and what you do for this team.
02:50And there are some times where you don't win the block shot
02:53and a lot of times where you do.
02:55And I think Mark Folliwell said,
02:57I just love the fact that he doesn't make business decisions.
03:00Is there a mentality that you have where you're just like,
03:03this is my rim, you're not getting to it?
03:06Oh, yeah, of course.
03:08You know, got to protect home.
03:10You know, and I kind of tie that aspect and that quote to life in general.
03:15You know, got to protect home.
03:16You know, I'm protecting whatever it is.
03:18You know, I'm the last line of defense.
03:20If you get through me, you're going to get to the basket, of course.
03:22But, you know, anybody that I've told, I mean, it's either, you know,
03:26I'm going to get the block shot or you're going to dunk on me.
03:27But at the end of the day, you're going to have to earn it.
03:29How much does that bleed over to your teammates then, too?
03:32Because, I mean, the defensive effort we're seeing on the perimeter,
03:35the defensive effort we're seeing from this team
03:37is something special right now.
03:40I mean, I feel like it means a lot because, you know,
03:43they trust me at the end of the day if they do get deep to the basket.
03:48And, you know, I trust them whenever I'm out on the perimeter as well.
03:51You know, I got a lot of guys that will come in and fly in
03:52and get block shots, too, from behind on a couple of guys that we play
03:56just in general.
03:57You know, we got a real good team defensively-wise, all in all,
04:01like throughout the whole team, I want to say.
04:03Yeah, we're loving it.
04:04We were having this discussion off-air a minute ago
04:07and trying to compare the Shaq and Wimbanyama, like, game.
04:11If we saw that be played today in this world.
04:15And Shaq would just back people down.
04:17But I don't know that Shaq would make his way out on the perimeter.
04:21How do you think that game would end up?
04:25When it comes to Shaq and Wimbanyama, I feel like, you know,
04:27of course, you always want to say Shaq is, you know,
04:30the most dominant force when it comes to it.
04:33But all in all, I feel like it's going to be a very good game, you know.
04:37But, I mean, I just, I really don't know.
04:39I really can't even, I really can't even put my mind around thinking
04:42or just like how it would be played out.
04:44Because, you know, Shaq was a force to be reckoned with at the end of the day.
04:51And so is Wimbany.
04:52But it's just in two different areas of the floor.
04:54So I really don't know.
04:56And that's one of the things we talked about is,
05:00I'm not saying, like, people didn't switch then.
05:02Obviously, they did.
05:03But they didn't switch the way they do now.
05:05And so I was just thinking, like, yeah,
05:08how would, like, the 2,000 Lakers handle switch, switch, switch, switch
05:11every single time on that side of the court?
05:14I don't know.
05:15Yeah, it's something that you would really have to, like,
05:18break down player by player to actually, I would say,
05:21even get an idea on how that will work.
05:23Well, as long as we're talking about some things from the current and past NBA,
05:27you talked about you're going to go for the block,
05:30maybe you'll get dunked on.
05:31Do you think we need to change the term posterized?
05:34Are people still buying posters?
05:38I mean, I don't think so.
05:40You know, it's more of a digital thing now.
05:44You know, it's on Instagram, it's on Facebook, TikTok, all of that stuff.
05:48So it's like you really don't get no genuine printed-out posters anymore
05:52unless a guy is like, oh, yeah, it's one of those dunks
05:54where it's like I'm going to hang up in my house.
05:55But that's pretty much it, you know?
05:57Getting memed, getting jiffed.
05:59That's all from what I'm seeing.
06:00I could be mistaken because I haven't seen a couple of posters here and there,
06:04but it's like, man, I don't know.
06:06I know you're a busy guy, but if you feel like working it into a postgame
06:10and you're like, I wasn't about to let that guy Instagram me,
06:13like, you know, something to think about.
06:16He's not memeing me today.
06:17He's not memeing me today.
06:17There's something to think about.
06:18I might just try that.
06:20You know, I might just try that.
06:21I got to lock in, though, to be able to make sure it doesn't happen.
06:24Fair, fair.
06:25Last night, Cooper looked like he was trying to figure some things out in the game.
06:30ESPN broadcast even said a couple times that, you know,
06:33he didn't look like he was that same confident self.
06:36And I was just kind of curious, like, being the veteran,
06:39I know he's still – he's now in his second year, he's working things out.
06:42If you see him going through that and trying to figure things out,
06:46do you talk to the young kid or do you just kind of let him work things out on his
06:50own?
06:51Definitely.
06:52I try to talk to him, you know.
06:54It's a team sport, like I said before, you know,
06:56and it's not all on everyone's shoulders.
06:58Granted, he's one of the hands of the snakes when it comes to our team.
07:01So we got to make sure he's in good spirit.
07:03So I'm going to do whatever it takes, and all of my teammates are, too.
07:06I know PJ talks to him a lot.
07:07Caleb talks to him a lot, so on and so forth.
07:10It's very contagious with a team like this because we all know that we have things to improve.
07:15And this is something that Dusty kind of, like,
07:17really just implemented in general at first when he first had a conversation with us.
07:20And there's going to be mistakes.
07:22It's all about how you respond to those mistakes, get better from it,
07:25and keep pushing forward instead of dwelling on it, worrying about it.
07:28So we all try to have that kind of same mindset to really just push each other to be,
07:33you know, the best player we can be night to night.
07:36You know, PJ said last night, you know, with the shots that Koops were taking,
07:39Koop was taking.
07:40There was a lot of them that really didn't fall.
07:42PJ said, keep shooting.
07:43We'll be right there with you at the end of the day because you are one of the guys
07:47that are going to be able to take those shots down the stretch just because of the caliber
07:52of player that you are.
07:53So it's only right that we help him and force him to believe in himself because, I mean,
07:58yeah, he's an incredibly talented player.
08:01And, you know, it's just it takes a village at the end of the day.
08:05And Kai understands that.
08:06I feel like PJ understands that.
08:08Caleb understands it.
08:09And, you know, all the older guys, and I feel like some of the younger guys understand
08:12it, too, just because of just, you know, the teams that they have came from, whether
08:15you've been traded here or if you, you know, got drafted here.
08:19And we all just kind of, like, implement that into the game and try to help each other out
08:22night in, night out.
08:23So, of course, yeah, we're trying to make sure his head is held high.
08:26You go through these slums time to time again.
08:28Like I said, I had a bad game.
08:30I don't plan on having a crazy amount of bad games these next few games that we have.
08:35So, it's just we have a matter of, we have a matter of a level of, like, level that we
08:39have to stay locked into.
08:41I'm sure you're right.
08:42Most of the time it's encouragement or basketball strategy.
08:46But do you ever wonder if PJ Washington and Cooper Flagg debate Kentucky and Duke basketball
08:51for just a second when they have those little huddle-ups?
08:55Maybe.
08:56I want to say so.
08:57I haven't heard too much of it, but I can sense it.
09:00I can sense it.
09:01But, to be honest, PJ Arkansas got now, man.
09:04We done changed him.
09:05So, we really can't.
09:06We really can't say he has those anymore.
09:08Okay.
09:09Well, I haven't forgotten about the 94 championship game where we all defeated the Grand Hill Duke
09:14team.
09:14But whatever.
09:14We don't need to talk about that.
09:18On a more serious note, can you walk us through, like, any specifics or generalities about what
09:26you saw from the team defense in the second half as opposed to the first half?
09:31Because the second half defense from the Mavericks last night was just tremendous.
09:37Yeah.
09:37I mean, we unlocked that level that the few games that we won before we had, like, this
09:43two-game losing streak.
09:45We unlocked that level of play that we were playing with, you know?
09:48And we all took that next step in that right direction.
09:51And it's just, guys were focused.
09:54The communication was contagious.
09:56Everybody was talking to each other.
09:57We were trying to stay encouraged throughout the game.
10:00Because, granted, the first half, it wasn't the best for us.
10:03And, you know, it was either, and I say it all the time, and there's a lot of other guys
10:08say on the team, too.
10:09It's all about how we respond.
10:11You know, first half can be terrible.
10:13Shots may not fall.
10:14But, at the end of the day, the one thing that can fix all of that stuff is defense,
10:18rebounding to basketball, being physical, all of the above.
10:21And that's what the guys went out and did last night.
10:23You know?
10:23I remember after I had came out, I just sensed this, like, a switch, a flip, and guys
10:28were just completely locked in.
10:29They were talking to each other.
10:31We were like, we're going to figure it out.
10:33And one thing, we knew that, you know, if we worked hard enough, they were going to
10:36let us back in the game.
10:37And that's what they did.
10:38Yeah.
10:38I thought the comeback was very impressive, especially if you look at kind of where it was midway
10:43through the third quarter.
10:44You just talked about, you know, like, maybe if the shot's not falling, you pick it up
10:49on defense, you're getting the rebounds, doing all of the other things.
10:52Is there a time in a game where you're five minutes in and you're like, ooh, I do not
10:58have my shot tonight?
10:59Or do you as a player always kind of think, hey, the next shot could change it.
11:04We can shoot our way out of this.
11:07Right now, in my career, I have that second mentality that you still explained.
11:12You know, I used to always get really down if I missed a couple of easy shots here and
11:17there.
11:17But throughout the course of the game, you know, you never know when the ties can change
11:22into your favor.
11:23It's whether you can force the ties to change or it just happens automatically.
11:27It happens naturally.
11:28And just really now is just more of focus on the next thing at hand.
11:33If you make a mistake, learn from it, be better than that mistake that you made, because
11:37that's not going to make the whole game for you.
11:39One turnover is not going to cause, you know, the end of the world if it's early enough
11:43in the game around like the five-minute mark.
11:45Or one missed shot, or you get your shot blocked.
11:48Or just something happens to where it causes just like that little bit of sense of frustration.
11:53So when it comes to that, you just have to really just focus on just pretty much what's
11:57ahead.
11:57That's the only time why I'll say just focus on what's ahead.
12:00Because if we really focus and dwell on something that happened in the first quarter, down in the
12:03fourth, it's not going to be a good ending for you.
12:05Daniel Gafford joining us here on the KNC Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan.
12:09Can you talk a little bit about Walter Clayton coming to this team, not having a camp with
12:13you guys, and fitting in the way that he has so quickly?
12:17Much rebounds.
12:18Yeah.
12:18Is that easy to do in the NBA?
12:20Because it looks like he's kind of adapted to y'all very quickly.
12:25I feel like it's 50-50 when it comes to just like if it's easy or not.
12:29I think it really just depends on just the mentality of the person that's coming to the team.
12:32You know, because at the moment when it comes to the team and you get signed here, we already
12:39have a thing going on.
12:40I feel like it's, of course, like a little bit on that team to be able to make you feel
12:44welcome and always, you know, make you feel comfortable.
12:47But in a sense, I feel like also it's on the mentality of the player coming in.
12:51And I feel like Walt, he just is coming in and just took his role as serious as he possibly
12:56could.
12:57He's taking every chance that he gets.
12:58And he's taking advantage of them, you know, and he's very vocal.
13:04He communicates the right way.
13:05And he's just a free spirit.
13:07You can tell the type of guy that he is on and off the floor.
13:10It's just dope to have somebody like him in the situation that he's in, just seeing just
13:14him developing.
13:15Really just prove himself on a night-to-night basis.
13:18Daniel, unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to media day to hang out with you guys in
13:23person like my co-host was that day.
13:25No, man, it's all good.
13:26Dude, he dominated.
13:27I was so impressed with the work that he did that day, though, being the running the show
13:31by himself.
13:32It's not often anybody's asked to do that.
13:34But he's capable.
13:36However, he has this one story.
13:38And you were talking about Dusty a few minutes ago.
13:40And Dusty May came and sat down.
13:43And Kevin had like five minutes to spare before he went on and could interview Dusty.
13:47And Dusty just sat there and hung out with him rather than going to do anything else.
13:51Do you think that Dusty could have used his time more wisely?
13:56Or do you think that that's just Dusty?
13:58He's a great guy.
14:00That's just Coach Dusty, man.
14:01I love him to death.
14:03And it's been a minute since I've kind of like experienced just any type of the type of
14:07coaching that he has.
14:08You know, he's so he's so energetic and he emphasizes everything.
14:14And one thing he's going to do is just like hold guys accountable.
14:18And I just I love that because night in, night out, he's always holding me accountable.
14:22At the same time as he's holding you accountable, he's literally speaking life into you at the
14:27same time, too.
14:28You know, and it's just being in the NBA and just seeing the type of guy that he is, he's
14:35going to have a real good career when it comes to a lot of players in this league.
14:39Now, I don't know if this is sound basketball strategy or if he's talked to you about it
14:43yet, but we've talked about the potential need for better three point shooting.
14:48Is it time to unleash the Daniel Gafford from behind the three point line extravaganza?
14:54You wanted to a couple of times.
14:55Yeah, I saw it.
14:57Yeah, yeah.
14:58I'm still I'm still working out the kinks of just like the confidence side of that.
15:02The one shot that I took the other night, it was that probably has been the best I've
15:06felt in any game that I played and it's just, you know, yeah, I don't know what it was.
15:11You know, sometimes sometimes it's on and sometimes it's off, but I had a conversation
15:14with Dusty last night about just shooting one or two kind of like at the end of the
15:18shot clock.
15:19It was something that was that, of course, was lingering, but it's like if I'm going to
15:24try to make an impact anywhere on the floor, I got to be able to at least knock one or
15:27two
15:27down.
15:29Did he give you the freedom to step into it?
15:33Did he say go ahead?
15:34He did.
15:34He did.
15:35Yeah, that's what I love about him as a coach, man.
15:36He's just an open book.
15:38You know, you can walk up to him.
15:39You can pretty talk pretty much talk to him about anything as long as you're respectful
15:43and you believe in yourself as much as he believes in you because he's going to look you dead
15:47in your face and tell you, you know, whether if it's something that you need to do or if
15:51it's something that you're not you can't do.
15:53But it's just how he how he I would say deliver it delivers it.
15:58And it just makes you feel like, you know, maybe he's right.
16:03The last thing when I saw you at media day, we talked about that Cooper flag card that sold
16:09for eight million dollars.
16:10We are going to talk to that guy tomorrow at the Dallas card show.
16:17How many random strangers or quote unquote new family members do you think have tried
16:22to hit him up for a loan since that came out?
16:25I feel like you need two or three.
16:27I feel like you need two or three.
16:28You know, that's just me being that's just me being giving grace.
16:32I'm about to make it three or four.
16:34You know what I'm saying?
16:38I get that.
16:39I get that.
16:40I ain't mad.
16:40That's for sure.
16:41Whenever y'all talk to him, ask him to let me hold a dollar.
16:45I'm with you, man.
16:46Thank you so much for the time.
16:48We love talking with you every single time.
16:50We appreciate it.
16:51Good, sir.
16:52Appreciate y'all for having me on.